Quantum field theory in spaces with closed timelike curves

Journal Article · Sun Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.46.4421· OSTI ID:7200859

Boulware, D G ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics FM-15, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)

Gott spacetime has closed timelike curves, but no locally anomalous stress energy. A complete orthonormal set of eigenfunctions of the wave operator is found in the special case of a spacetime in which the total deficit angle is 2{pi}. A scalar quantum field theory is constructed using these eigenfunctions. The resultant interacting quantum field theory is not unitary because the field operators can create real, on-shell, particles in the noncausal region. These particles propagate for finite proper time accumulating an arbitrary phase before being annihilated at the same spacetime point as that at which they were created. As a result, the effective potential within the noncausal region is complex, and probability is not conserved. The stress tensor of the scalar field is evaluated in the neighborhood of the Cauchy horizon; in the case of a sufficiently small Compton wavelength of the field, the stress tensor is regular and cannot prevent the formation of the Cauchy horizon.

• DOE Contract Number: FG06-91ER40614
• OSTI ID: 7200859
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 46:10; ISSN PRVDA; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

662110* -- General Theory of Particles & Fields-- Theory of Fields & Strings-- (1992-)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CAUSALITY
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EIGENFUNCTIONS
EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
MATRIX ELEMENTS
METRICS
MINKOWSKI SPACE
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PROPAGATOR
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SCALAR FIELDS
SPACE
SPACE-TIME
VACUUM STATES
WAVE EQUATIONS